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Topic: DOP San Marzano Tomatoes (Read 40175 times)

I had a question regarding San Marzano tomatoes and the DOP designation.

Some have posted that the La Bella brand of San Marzano should be avoided. While I understand they are not marked DOP, does anyone know whether these are from the San Marzano region of Italy. I have used this brand several times and they have been outstanding - they are sweet, they tomatoes have all been high quality and fully ripened, and you could eat them straight out of the can they are so good. The Pennsylvania Macaroni Company carries them also, so I thought that gave them some credibility. I will be traveling to New Jersey in July and planned to visit the distributor listed on the web.

Also, has anyone used the Valle brand San Marzano DOP listed on Penn Macaroni's web site?

Do you know where I can buy La Regina? I am actually going to use them more for my other Italian cooking besides pizza. I like the fresh and simple sauces that you find in Italy and like making them myself with the best tomatoes.

I agree with ebpizza one hundred percent. If you like a particular brand of San Marzanos, use them. I have also tried the LaValles, both DOP and non-DOP, and while they are both good, I don't think they are as good as the LaRegina DOPs.

When I did my original research on sources of San Marzano tomatoes, I spoke with the importer of the LaBella tomatoes, San Marzano Imports, and asked him if the La Bellas were DOP or not, and, if not, what was the difference? I couldn't get a straight answer out of him no matter how I tried to frame the question, and since there was a two-case minimum, I decided not to buy through him. If you go to the home page of the San Marzano Imports website, you will see the words "agro nocerino", which suggest that the tomatoes sold by San Marzano Imports are grown in the region that qualifies for the DOP designation. Unless the cans of tomatoes are clearly marked with the DOP designation and bear the seal of certification, I view the use of the words "agro nocerino" at the San Marzano Imports website as misleading. That doesn't mean that the LaBellas are no good. There are non-DOP San Marzanos that may even be better than some DOP versions. That is why it is important to do your own taste tests and make up your own mind, without being influenced by others whose tastes may differ from yours anyway.

I live in Northern Colorado (I'm originally from New Jersey, and will be going home for a visit in July. That is where the importer of the La Bella brand is located that Peter references, so I plan to visit the store while I am there).

I'd like to try the La Regina brand locally if possible (even if that is Denver) to avoid the shipping charges.

I had a question regarding San Marzano tomatoes and the DOP designation.

Some have posted that the La Bella brand of San Marzano should be avoided. While I understand they are not marked DOP, does anyone know whether these are from the San Marzano region of Italy. I have used this brand several times and they have been outstanding - they are sweet, they tomatoes have all been high quality and fully ripened, and you could eat them straight out of the can they are so good. The Pennsylvania Macaroni Company carries them also, so I thought that gave them some credibility. I will be traveling to New Jersey in July and planned to visit the distributor listed on the web.

Thanks

Tom

I have been to the La Bella distributor in NJ. I originally found them on the web when I first heard about "San Marzano" tomatoes; before I found this site and learned of such things as "DOP" and "fake" San Marzanos. I do like them, but find they have a distinctive "earthy" flavor when eaten straight out of the can. I no longer use them for pizza sauce, but I do cook them down and use them for spaghetti sauce. With meat (beef and sausage), onion, garlic, green pepper, parsley, herbs & olive oil, it is the best spaghetti sauce I ever made. Since I have over a case of #10 cans left that'll last me for a few months based on our spaghetti consumption.

The first time I went to the importer I searched the address on Mapquest. I followed the directions into a residential neighborhood and thought it must be a mistake. However it's not, they store all the products in a garage next to their house.

They also sell an EVOO called Coluccio which is incredibly flavorful. It's the best olive oil I've ever had. However the last case I got was right at its expiration date and there was significant sediment in the bottles. It didn't seem to affect the flavor, though, as it is still excellent. The cost was $90 for a case of six 1 liter bottles, which I thought was a good price for an olive oil of this quality. However (I'm using that word a lot), a friend recently reported that he saw it for sale in NYC Little Italy for about $13 a bottle.

So I guess the jury is out on the business practices of the La Bella importer (sanmarzanoimports.com).

---Guy

...and one more thing, the first time I bought from them every can in one of the cases of tomatoes was bulging. They did replace them with no hassle the next time I went, and even threw in a few samples of other products for my trouble.

« Last Edit: June 11, 2005, 09:57:27 PM by PizzaBrewer »

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Man does not live by bread alone. There's also tomato, cheese and pepperoni.

...and one more thing, I posted earlier about the Escalon and Stanislaus products I recently found. The Alta Cucina whole peeled tomatoes are probably the best canned tomato I've ever tried, including all the San Marzanos (DOP, non-DOP and fakes) I've had. Available in food service #10 cans only thru a restaurant distributor.

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Man does not live by bread alone. There's also tomato, cheese and pepperoni.

I was wondering if you can clarify some of the questions, such as what is the difference between San Marzanos designated "DOP" and those that aren't? Are your tomatoes grown in the "Dell' agro Sarnese Nocerino region"?

I'm sure you would be welcome to post on the chat board as many people are interested in the issue of San Marzano tomatoes.

Thank you.<<

...and here is the response I got:

>>Yes La Bella San Marzano tomatoes are grown in the agro nocerino area,however Viscardi La Bella San Marzano is an independent industry they have the highest quality of BRC standards and not a DOP.This BRC certification isthe highest standard quality and is a better certification then a DOP.DOP means that you will pay 20.00 to 25.oo more per case.You can view the BRC certification on our website www.sanmarzanoimports.com.Thank You fortaking an interest in our products.Thank You for taking the time to email us.San Marzano Imports Inc.Sales Department-Marilena<<

Those of you who know more about this than myself, what do you make of this?

---Guy

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Man does not live by bread alone. There's also tomato, cheese and pepperoni.

tjaks, sorry, I probably the big meany that was talking bad about the La Bellas. I think Jeff was the other. In my most recent shootout of san marzanos I was amazed to find out how much brands differ from batch to batch. I was trying to be nice by not talking smack about Jeff's favorite the cento brand Italian whole peeled variety, but I really thought those tomatoes were no big deal the first time I tried them. In the next shootout I did the Cento's that Jeff liked so much ended up being amazing. Also, these tomatoes don't even claim to be san marzanos, but they sure taste like them. After finding this post I decided to open up another can of the La Bellas, this time from a fresh batch at a local Italian market. Guess what, way better than the case I have. I opened one of my older cans, and the new can is way better. Now, these are still not as good as the La Regina's to my taste buds, but they are packed in a very rich and thick puree just like the Reginas. I still They are still a little more acidic tasting than most brands, but they do seem to have that really strong San Marzano flavor like the La Regina's. If they were just a little less acidic (I really dislike that flavor) I would now actually put them in the same ballpark as the La Reginas. I do know a day in the fridge after opening can do wonders for this problem.

Pizzabrewer, I am with you. The collucio unfiltered is absolutely the best tasting olive oil I can find. I have even done shootouts with $50 bottles, and I prefer the collucio. Unfortunately San Marzano Imports ups the price for their website distribution way too high. I can also find it much cheaper buying one bottle at a time at "Fresh Cheese" here in Boston than paying their ridiculous case prices.

It's still not clear to me what San Marzano Imports is saying about the LaBella San Marzano tomatoes. Quite possibly, pizzanapoletana (Marco) can shed some light on this.

As I previously reported, for San Marzano tomatoes to be certified DOP (Denominazione di origine protetta - Protected Denomination of Origin), they must meet certain requirements. In particular, the DOP designation is "awarded to agricultural and food products having all phases of production carried out within a delimited geographical area following an officially approved production process, and whose properties are essentially derived from their geographical environment, inclusive of natural and human factors." The San Marzano varietal tomato grown in the Vesuvius region of Agro Nocerino Sarnese is one such product.

By contrast, the BRC is a different certification process that has little to do per se with the origins of products. The BRC standards were originally established by the British Retail Consortium (hence the BRC acronym) as a way of insuring that products provided to British food retailers met certain quality standards and were safe for consumers. Originally the BRC standards applied to private branded products but later other suppliers of their branded products could apply to be qualified and certified also. One of the major benefits of the BRC standards was to substantially reduce the numbers of audits of suppliers to be sure that their products were as represented and that they were safe for consumers.

What I don't understand is if the exporter of the LaBella San Marzano tomatoes has been certified as being in compliance with the BRC standards, and if the tomatoes are the genuine San Marzano tomatoes (the varietal) and are grown in the region qualifying for the DOP certification, why not get the DOP certification? There may be a perfectly good explanation, but I don't know what it is. I don't accept the statement about DOP meaning higher prices to the consumer. Marco has already indicated (if I understood his comments correctly) that there are certain yield requirements that apply to the DOP San Marzanos that translate into higher prices. Even at that, I have been able to buy DOP San Marzano tomatoes for less than San Marzano Imports charges, an example of this being the Famoso DOP San Marzano tomatoes I bought for $2.09 a can.

Maybe there is a perverse logic in labeling the tomatoes "LaBella San Marzano" which, if you look closely at the label, is a brand name, not an indication that the tomatoes are the authentic San Marzano varietal. I still don't know what is in the can. Is it an uncertified authentic San Marzano varietal tomato, a different tomato grown in the "San Marzano" region, tomatoes grown outside of the Vesuvius area from seeds of the varietal? Or, what? If the logic is to confuse consumers, then they have done a pretty good job.

I will be going to New Jersey in July to visit my parents, they live about 15 minutes away from the La Bella San Marzano importer, I can go over and knock on their door - apparently they sell out of a garage adjacent to their house from what someone posted

I guess I am not the only one confused by San Marzano Import's promotional materials on its website. Tonight I saw a post by Steven Shaw (a/k/a Fat Guy), a founder and executive director of eGullet.com and a restaurant/food guru, who had this to say about San Marzano Imports a few months ago:

"The San Marzano Imports site is full of ambiguity and wiggle words. For example, on the home page there's a link to a certification document that, if you read it, means little. There is lots of talk about San Marzano tomatoes and how great they are, but nary a mention of the DOP concept. Articles about San Marzano tomatoes in general -- as opposed to this particular brand -- are cited as testimonials."

I will be going to New Jersey in July to visit my parents, they live about 15 minutes away from the La Bella San Marzano importer, I can go over and knock on their door - apparently they sell out of a garage adjacent to their house from what someone posted

Yup, just call ahead and they'll be happy to sell to you. It's kind of a long driveway but don't be intimidated, if they know you're coming just drive on in. The fellow is very nice and likes to chat about his products.

Please do post about your experience and how you like the products. Don't miss getting a bottle of the olive oil.

---Guy

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Man does not live by bread alone. There's also tomato, cheese and pepperoni.

I was in New York this weekend and went to Arthur Ave (italian section in the bronx). After going in several stores/markets I think I may have seen one can of "official" san marzano tomatoes. I picked up several (non san marzano) cans to try out including:

La Squisita SclafaniNina

These are supposedly the "best" according to locals.

I also stopped by a pizza supply warehouse in Queens/Long Island and took home a case of their cans for $12! (12 (28 oz or so) cans of italian tomatoes with their own label on them. They also had cases of ALTA CUCINA in 28 oz or so cans probably for $15. That's my next purchase.

In addition to the above they had the standard large cans of bonta, 7/11, etc.

In talking with the owner he said that every NY pizza place does something different. Some get Bonta and mix for a quick pizza sauce. Some get whole tomatoes and cook them. He mentioned that All Trumps was the typical flour used.

As for the sauce, I've tried Cento, Cento DOP, Vantia, Patsy's Sauce (this are the tomatoes used at Patsy's in Harlem - I still have 5 large cans left), Red Pack, 6 in 1, Bonta, 7/11, Nina (actually tried a large can from Costco) etc. I will be trying the cans listed above over the next few months and report back. Currently, there is a big difference in 6 in 1, 7/11, Bonta and the rest. I personally like the whole tomatoes best and dilulte some of the liquid. Occassionally I have added Bonta to thicken the sauce. The 6 in 1 with Bonta reminds me of NY Street pizza, but I prefer the puree whole tomatoes on my home pizza.

Just made one of my better sauces tonight with the La Bella san marzano's. My wife and the friend that I had over immediately commented on the sauce. I don't care if these are DOP or not, they taste really good. No acidic taste in this batch.

Just made one of my better sauces tonight with the La Bella san marzano's. My wife and the friend that I had over immediately commented on the sauce. I don't care if these are DOP or not, they taste really good. No acidic taste in this batch.

Scott,

I've got a can of these I want to try. How did you make the sauce? Chopped, pureed? Seasonings? Did you use any of the liquid from the can? Thanks.

La Bella is definitely NOT grown in San Marzano. I love the label:La Bella San MarzanoBrand

Ya gotta love the little word 'brand' at the end. Plus, on Amazon, you can tell they wrote their own 'customer' review because it's worded just like their website. Their website is full of distortion. I wouldn't buy them on principle, because it's a very shady thing to do. These guys are SLEAZY, SLEAZY, SLEAZY. They are selling regular tomatoes and lying to double their price. They fooled me the first time and tasted watery and acidic.

I've got a can of these I want to try. How did you make the sauce? Chopped, pureed? Seasonings? Did you use any of the liquid from the can? Thanks.

Bill/SFNM

I crushed them by hand and put them into a strainer. I took a decent amount of the water out, but not all of it. I put them in a blender to puree. I added salt. On the pie I use fresh garlic marinated in oil, and some really good oregano.

I have been avoiding them because my first experience with them was very bad. I bought two cases (one of pre crushed, one of whole) and both cases tasted acidic. After giving them a bunch of bad press here on the forum I ended up using another can that I purchased from a local market. This can was much better, so I thought they had promise. I figured I would try them one more time, and again they were really good. Also, they were not watery at all. Not sure what is going on with the consistency, but I totally understand why Jeff did not like them at one point. Neither did I . I hated them the first time I tried them.

Still not sure they are as good as the La Reginas, but now I am rating them as my second favorite San Marzano.

Hey, Just found this site! I have something in common with some of you. I live in upstate NY and have been to San Marzano Imports in NJ. My Cousin lives about 30 minutes from there in Toms River. I have been there three times so far and my cousin goes there now as well. Being skeptical, I did some research and noticed they had an article on the site from a story Saveur magazine did on the owner and his family. After speaking to Nick the owner I found out his family actually lives in the San Marzano region of Italy! The article confirmed this as well.

Anyhow, certifications or not here is my opinion on the topic: Being in the restaurant business for over 25 years, I love the LaBella brand for pasta sauce. Lets face it thats when you separate the good from the bad. I find this brand to be the best for my taste buds anyway and make a special trip down there every now and then. I also have a large quantity shipped up here from time to time (via carrier for special customers only) it's way too expensive any other way. I like dealing with Nick and love his products. Again, I like the LaBella brand and after doing some research they are from the San Marzano region. Thats good enough for me and actually too good for my general customers. They are fine with lesser brands. Good luck and stay well by eating a lot of pasta and tomato sauce!